A lot of folks might need to be reminded of Barbarians when the time comes, but there are those of us that have been wanting to see more of this show since it aired a while back, especially since it covered all the bases, meaning it had betrayal, sex, and bloodshed in the right amounts. But by the end of the first season and the fallout from the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in which Arminius had defeated his fellow Romans left a lot of questions that need to be answered, not the least of which is what will happen to Folkwin, Thusnelda, and Arminius since the three of them are involved in a love triangle that could be the end of one man and even possibly end in a death that’s not fully expected but has already been promised by Folkwin himself. Historians are no doubt laughing or holding their heads and groaning since, like many historically-inspired shows and movies, Barbarians definitely took what it wanted and kind of swept the rest of the true story under the metaphorical rug in order to get the best story possible.
The fact is that the Battle of Teutoburg Forest did happen, but everything leading up to it and after it has been touched up in a big way since history isn’t always as cinematic as people would like, which is all well and good for those historians that know the real tale. But for TV and movies, there are those times when things have to be fudged just a bit in order to make them a little more appealing to the audience. Despite what anyone that knows the story has said, the first season ended up being quite successful thanks to the visuals and the story that was given since the effort was appreciated and the fact that the series did keep some sense of historical accuracy to it was great.
Apart from that, there are plenty of things that people want to see when the show returns, but it will likely be the latter part of 2022 when this happens since filming has only just begun, and it’s bound to take a while to bring the series back to Netflix. There are plenty of movies and series to enjoy in the meantime, and as mentioned it’s likely going to come down to reminding people about this series since among the many stories that have taken place in this time period or close to it, Barbarians is indeed popular, but it’s a single story in a sea of similar tales that have been vying for attention ever since the popularity of such stories began to rise. One of the many things that do tend to happen, at least among those that are interested in history and want to know more about it, is that they will tend to look up one historical battle or situation after another and will usually find that there are quite a few differences to be noted between what is put on the screen and what actually happened, according to the literature. What many historians don’t often mention is that the books that we’ve learned from over the years could easily be just as skewed, though more often than not it would appear that the writings pan out, so far as we know.
The fact is that Barbarians has benefitted from this practice since Folkwin is a fictional character and the battle, impressive as it was, likely happened at least a little differently, perhaps in a manner that wouldn’t have been as easy to film. There are also other moments that those who are waiting for this show to return might be thinking about, such as Arminius’ brother Flavius, as well as Thusnelda’s younger brother Ansgar, who is said to have come back from death, or at least keep from passing into its realm, to make a prediction or two that would decide the outcome of life and how it would continue or end. There are a few big moving parts in this series that will need to be considered for season 2, but it’s hard to say how far this series will go or if it will last a few seasons at best and then give way to another show that will take its spot and be just as successful or need to be replaced in due order.
So far, Barbarians has been highly enjoyable since as a historical show it’s not one hundred percent realistic given that there are a few things here and there that have been missed or added to, but it’s been great because the story has followed a balanced and addictive path that keeps people watching. How season 2 will go when Arminius has to contend with the opposition of the tribes to his rule is going to be interesting to see, since historians can paint a vivid picture of this as well no doubt.
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